Olympus E-PL5 vs Sony T99

Let's look more in depth at the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony T99, one is a Entry-Level Mirrorless and the other is a Ultracompact by rivals Olympus and Sony. The sensor resolution of the E-PL5 (16MP) and the T99 (14MP) is fairly comparable but the E-PL5 (Four Thirds) and T99 (1/2.3") offer totally different sensor dimensions.

Meta to Introduce 'AI-Generated' Labels for Media starting next month

The E-PL5 was launched 2 years after the T99 which is a fairly big gap as far as camera tech is concerned. Both cameras have different body design with the Olympus E-PL5 being a Rangefinder-style mirrorless camera and the Sony T99 being a Ultracompact camera.

Before delving straight to a in depth comparison, here is a quick highlight of how the E-PL5 grades against the T99 with respect to portability, imaging, features and an overall mark.

Following is a sample of the gallery pictures for Olympus PEN E-PL5 and Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T99. The complete galleries are available at Olympus E-PL5 Gallery and Sony T99 Gallery.

In case you're going to travel with your camera regularly, you'll have to factor in its weight and volume. The Olympus E-PL5 enjoys outer dimensions of 111mm x 64mm x 38mm (4.4" x 2.5" x 1.5") and a weight of 325 grams (0.72 lbs) whilst the Sony T99 has sizing of 93mm x 56mm x 17mm (3.7" x 2.2" x 0.7") along with a weight of 121 grams (0.27 lbs).

Contrast the Olympus E-PL5 versus Sony T99 in the all new Camera and Lens Size Comparison Tool.

Take into account, the weight of an Interchangeable Lens Camera will change depending on the lens you have during that time. Below is a front view dimension comparison of the E-PL5 and the T99.

Considering size and weight, the portability grade of the E-PL5 and T99 is 88 and 96 respectively.

In many cases, it is hard to visualise the contrast in sensor dimensions simply by checking out technical specs. The image below should give you a better sense of the sensor sizes in the E-PL5 and T99.

As you can tell, the two cameras provide different resolutions and different sensor dimensions. The E-PL5 featuring a larger sensor will make shooting bokeh easier and the Olympus E-PL5 will produce greater detail utilizing its extra 2 Megapixels. Greater resolution will enable you to crop images more aggressively. The younger E-PL5 is going to have an edge with regard to sensor innovation.